Be Ready – September is National Preparedness Month

September is recognized as National Preparedness Month (NPM). We all must take action to prepare, now and throughout the year, for the types of emergencies that could affect us where we live, work and visit. Use these tips from Ready.gov to be prepared for unexpected emergencies.

Family Emergency Communications Plans

Your family may not be together if a disaster strikes, so it is important to think about the following situations and plan just in case. Consider the following questions when making a plan:

How to Create a Family Emergency Communications Plan

Use these steps to customize a family emergency communication plan:

Understand how to receive emergency alerts and warnings. Make sure all household members are able to get alerts about an emergency from local officials. Check with your local emergency management agency to see what is available in your area. Learn more about alerts by visiting: www.ready.gov/alerts.

Discuss family/household plans for disasters that may affect your area and plan where to go. Plan together so that everyone in the household understands where to go during a different type of disaster like a hurricane, tornado or wildfire.

Collect information. Create a paper copy of the contact information for your family that includes: phone (work, cell, office); email; social media; medical facilities, doctors, service providers and schools.

Identify information and pick an emergency meeting place. Things to consider:
Decide on safe, familiar places where your family can go for protection or to reunite.
Make sure these locations are accessible for household members with disabilities or access and functional needs.

If you have pets or service animals, think about animal-friendly locations.
– In your neighborhood: A mailbox at the end of the driveway, or a neighbor’s house.
– Outside of your neighborhood: library, community center, place of worship, or family friend’s home.
– Outside of your town or city: home of a relative or family friend. Make sure everyone knows the address and discuss ways you would get there.

Share information. Make sure everyone carries a copy in his or her backpack, purse, or wallet. You should also post a copy in a central location in your home, such as your refrigerator or family bulletin board.

Practice your plan. Have regular household meetings to review your emergency plans, communication plans and meeting place after a disaster. And then, practice. Just like you would a fire drill.

Learn About Individual Preparedness

Take the time to know what you should do in the event of an emergency. Visit America’s PrepareAthonFind to take action today. You can find out where preparedness events are happening, connect with other communities and add activities to demonstrate how you are taking action to prepare.

Ways to Prepare In Advance

Be aware of specific needs you may have if an emergency strikes. You or those around you may require medication, eye glasses, devices that you may count on, pet needs and so on.

Build a kit with supplies that you will need to live independently for several days. Plan for sheltering at home, at work and on the road.
– Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation.
– Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.
– Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
– Flashlight and extra batteries
– First aid kit
– Whistle to signal for help
– Dust mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
– Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
– Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
– Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
– Local maps

Download the FEMA app for safety tips and National Weather Service alerts for up to five locations.

Safety Tips During A Disaster

Know what to do when roads are flooded: “Turn Around Don’t Drown®! It may save your life!”

If you’re already on high ground during a flood, stay where you are. Be prepared by having your supplies already stored.

Wildfires often begin unnoticed. Call 911 if you see a wildfire!

You may have to evacuate quickly due to a hurricane. Learn your evacuation routes and identify where you will stay.

An emergency may knock out power. Prepare by stocking non-perishable food items and water.

Jeff, the tech that came out was courteous & efficient. Our problem was unique & he was determined to give it his best shot. It was a two man job – & thankfully my husband was home to help – but I will recommend Pinnacle – & Jeff in particular in the future. And BTW – the office staff was patient & helpful as well.

One of the best service calls I have ever had to work with. The guys were here the next day, on time, polite and respectful. The quote over the phone was the same as they said after looking at the doors and also exactly what I paid for. They even tightened the chain and lubed the runners at no extra cost. It was done in less than an hour. It was perfect and recommend Tyler and Matt to anyone. Thanks for the pleasant experience.

Very professional experience and they did a fantastic job with our garage door at a reasonable price and time of installment. Also, they did forget four screws but came back later THAT day and did them for us. They are true to their word!read more

Bloomington IL – Called dispaptch for 24hr emergency service 6:40pm on a Saturday. Repairs, broken pulley cables, completed w/in 2 hours of my initial call. Was charged exactly what I was quoted for labor. Very satisfied with overall customer experience.read more

Great same day service every time I’ve called them. This time, I had moved to a different house and I remembered them by Pinnacle Door or Central Illinois Door…but I could not find them online. Turns out…it’s these guys. Same folks, different name DH Pace. They came out to my house and replaced my garage door opener in a timely fashion. They were friendly and efficient. They took time to explain everything.read more

From the initial contact over the phone to the in person encounter with the technicians, I highly recommend this company! The service technicians were onsite within 4 hours of calling and were able to fix the problem within an hour! Brandon and Gary were very knowledgeable and did a phenomenal job in explaining everything before completing the work. Affordable, Knowledgeable, and fast!read more

My garage came off the track and I tried to fix it myself all day Saturday. On Sunday I called DH Pace and Gary was extremely prompt, professional and did a good job explaining everything to me. Now I know how to maintain my garage door and when to call the professionals. Thanks!read more